Circuit-closer for railway-car telegraphs



' (No Model.)

G. I. HOPKINS.

CIRCUIT GLGSBR FOR RAILWAY GAR TELEGRAPHS.

N0. 399,22, Patented Mar. 5, 1889.

WITNESSES: l/WEA/TUR 55 776520 8 Q i m ATTORNEY x PETERS, pholmblbognphur, Wsihiughr. (1c.

UNiTEn STATES Parent thrice.

GEORGE IRVING HOPKINS, OE MANCHESTER, XEW HAMPSHIRE.

CiRCUlT-CLOSER FOR RAILWAY-CAR TELEGRAPHS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,228, dated March 5, 1889. Application filed December 21, 1887. Serial No. 258,618. (No model.)

. To all about it may concern:

lie it known that l, GEORGE IRVING HOP- KINS, a citizen of the United States, residing in Manchester, in the county of Hillsborough and State of Xew Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CircuitUlosers for Railway-Car Telegraphs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in circuit-closers adapted to be used in systems of train-telegraphs in which the outgoing and return coinluctors are carried through the cars in a cord corresponding in position and function to the ordinary hell-cord. It is designed especially to constitute an improvement upon the invention set forth in an application of mine for United States Letters Patent, filed January 11, 1887, and serially numbered My circuit-closer and its application are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of one of my ci rcnit-closers. Fig. 2 is a section through line .2 .2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my circuit-closer. l igs. i and 5 illustrate the circuits, and Fig. '1 a section through the contact and insulating wheels.

It is to be understood. that one of my ci'rcuit-closers is to be applied to each end of a railway-car, thatthe two circuit-closers in each car are con nccted by insulated conductors carried in a single cord, and that the two nearest circuit closers in adjoining cars are similarly connected, suitable couplings for the conductors being interposed to admit of uncoupling thccars without detriment to the conductors.

In the drawings, A is the frame of m y circuit-closer, provided with suitable means for attachment to the end partition, B, of a railway-car. A shaft, U, is supported in the frame. 011 the shaft is mounted an insulatingspool, l), the spool being fixed to the shaft. Two disks, E E, of brass, are secured by screws to the opposite ends of the spool and the shaft, and the shaft passes eccentrically through them. A spring, 1 on the shaft tends to turn it in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, the

spring being attached at one end, as shown, to the frame and at the other to the scrowf in one end of the spool. The rotation of the shaft is stopped bya pin, G, on the other end of the spool impinging against the stop H. To the disks E and E are attached the two insulated conductors 2 and i, which make up the single cord 1. The wires are bare at their points of attachment to the disks'and so make electrical connect-ion therewith. By pulling the cord I the shaft, spool, and disks may be rotated in opposition to the spring F until brought to rest by a stop, ll, in the path of the pin G. When the tension of the cord is released, the parts are restored to the position first described. In this position the disks E l are pressed upon, respectively, by insulated springs J J From these lead wires L, which are joined like '1' i in a cord, L, that runs to the next car, (see Fig. 1%,) with a suitable coupling interposed. The partial rotation of the shaft and its connected parts turns the disks far enough to break connection with J J",for a purpose hereinafter explained. The same action brings the disks into contact with another pair of springs, K K one of which is joined to the frame A directly and the other of which is insulated therefrom, shown. An arm, L is pivoted to the frame in such a position that it can be thrown at will into or out of contact with the insulated sprin The circuit-eontrollers above described are attached one at each end of the cars of a railway-train. Pivoted to one side of each device is an arm, M, which has a stop, on, on its inner side, that can be made to pass through a hole, n, in the frame into the path of the pin G, locking the apparatus so as to prevent its being moved when the cord is pulled. I lock. the forward circuitcontroller in each car in this manner, leaving the other unlocked. If any car is shifted end for end, the condition of the two circuitcontrollers should be reversed. The circuit-controller constructed as above is a convertible rircuit-controller capable of being used at will to make or break an electric circuit, according to the position of the arm L in or out of contact with the spring K. This will appear from what follows.

The electric circuits are illustrated in Figs. i and W a battery on the locomotive, and 0 an electromagnetic or electro-mechanical bell, according to requirements. In the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1, 0 may be su giposed to be an electromechanical bell, the circuit of which is continuous through the various couplers P and circuit-controllers A, and closed at the rear of the train at the halfcoupling there shown.

It will be understood that the bell is kept from ringing by suitable detents when the circuit is closed, but allowed to be run by clockwork when the circuit is opened. When the circuits are so arranged for closed circuit, I lift the arms L on the various circuit-controllers out of contact with the insulated springs. This being the case, it is evident that the pulling of the cord will break the original circuit on both poles between J E and J E and cause the bell to ring. Moreover, the subsequent contacting of the disks with the springs K K will not restore the circuit, as the two said springs are not in electrical connection by reason of the arm L being raised. The bell will ring as long and as often as the cord remains under tension.

In the open-circuit arrangement (illustrated in Fig. 5) I use an ordinary electro-magnetic vibrating bell and place the arms L in contact with the springs K. In this case the turning of the disks by making contact with the springs K K, which are now electrically connected, closes a circuit across from one conductor to the other and rings the bell.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a railway-car-telegraph system, a convertible circuit-controller consisting of two pairs of contact-springs and corresponding movable contact-pieces normally in contact with one pair only of the springs, the said contact-pieces when operated breaking contact therewith and making contact with the second pair, and an adjustable conductingarm in electrical connection with one of the springs of the second pair and capable of being thrown into or out of contact with the other, the springs of the first pair being normally insulated from each other, as set forth.

2. The combination ,with the conductors 'i i, the insulated springs J J and K K, and the disks E E, of the pivoted arm L, one of the springs K K being normally insulated, and the arm L being in electrical connection with the other spring and capable of being moved into contact with the insulated spring, as and for the purpose'set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE IRVING HOPKINS.

WVitnesses:

EDWARD R. GooDwm, JAMES E. DODGE. 

